Insulating covers, such as attic scuttle hatch covers, are made to provide a match with the R-value of the ceiling and to try to make an airtight seal. Such covers can for instance be made with several layers of foam board between two outer plywood boards so as to have enough weight to make a reasonably good seal on a weatherstrip perimeter. Assembly can be done on site using adhesive with pressure applied to the layers until dried. A weatherstrip can then be applied to the bottom of the frame so that its perimeter surrounds the scuttle hole. The same idea is applicable to covers made for a similar purpose of providing a heat barrier for a wall, floor, louver opening of a building with a heated space with warmth on one side and cold on the other. Other approaches are known for example from U.S. Pat. No. 6,224,490 to Wessley et al where a scuttle hole cover comprises a sleeve that extends into the attic and a locking mechanism to lock an insulating cover in place.
Another example made by DRD Corporation of Glenmoore, Pa., is a prefabricated insulated cover for drop down attic stairs with outside dimensions (one size fits all) of 38 inches (wide) by 63 inches (long) by 8.5 inches (high) and a weight of approximately 30 pounds and made of polyethylene closed cell foam in a thickness of nearly 5 inches with no assembly required and usable for openings up to 30 by 54 inches. Installation involves positioning the cover over the attic ladder access hole and screwing some pre-drilled strap hinges of the cover to the attic floor.
Lynn et al. (U.S. Pat. Application Publication No. 2004/0055819 A1) show a thermal insulating cover for use over attic stairs that is made from an insulating blanket cut and folded to form a box.
Uhl et al. (U.S. Pat. Application Publication No. 2011/0265392 A1) show in an application entitled “Energy efficient scuttle cover kits,” an insulated scuttle cover that includes a scuttle panel configured to cover a building scuttle opening and further configured to be supported when positioned within the building scuttle opening. An insulative assembly is attached to the scuttle panel. The insulative assembly includes insulation material encapsulated by a jacket. The insulated scuttle cover is configured to prevent or substantially retard the flow of air passing through the building scuttle opening.
Melesky (U.S. Pat. Application Publication No. 2012/0186179) shows a cover for closing an access opening that leads to an infrequently used space within a building, such as an attic, that generally provides an air seal, thermal insulation and/or acoustic insulation at the access opening. The cover may be in one or two portions, including a closure alone or a closure and a frame having an aperture that can be closed by engagement between the closure and the frame. When the cover is used alone it engages a frame or a wall circumscribing the access opening. The cover is sized and shaped to close a stairwell, or the opening at one end of a stairway, an opening in a generally vertical wall, a hatch, or a pull down ladder. The closure and frame are each made of one or more components.